Ninety-year-old escapes Mosul

Ninety-year-old Khatla Ali Abdallah has survived decades of turbulence in northern Iraq, but the frail grandmother who fled the battle for Mosul this week says the fighting there is the worst she has ever seen. Carried across the desert by her grandsons, under sniper and mortar fire, she was one of thousands who braved the difficult and dangerous journey out of Islamic State's shrinking stronghold in the west of the city.

"I'm a 90-year-old woman and I haven’t seen such a war," she said in a camp for displaced people south of Mosul, where she was taken by Iraqi security forces.

27 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Khatla lived through Saddam Hussein's quarter century in power, when Iraq fought wars with neighbouring Iran and Kuwait and endured a decade of devastating sanctions. That was followed by a U.S.-led invasion which toppled Saddam and led to years of sectarian war across the country.

"Even under the Saddam era, we were afraid because of the atrocities and the people killed," she said. "But nothing is compared to this phase".

1 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Since the launch of the military campaign in October to retake Mosul from Islamic State, Khatla remained in her home in the city's southwestern al-Mamoun district, now in the hands of Iraq's U.S.-backed Counter Terrorism Service (CTS).

At times she took shelter in her basement with the 20 chickens that she looked after - reminders, she said, of her youth when she also herded sheep and cattle.

"I haven't lost any chickens, not even a one little chick," she said. "We were trapped in the basement and we could hear the bullets hitting the metal roof of the chicken pen."

1 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Story

Her grandsons carried her for miles in the desert to reach the CTS lines, and then she was taken on a bus to a camp for internally displaced people.

"We just want to make it through this war," she said. "This one will make stories for generations to tell."

Writing by Maher Chmaytelli

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Slideshow

19 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Members of the Iraqi rapid response forces fire a missile toward Islamic State militants.

25 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Iraqi security forces battle with Islamic State militants.

27 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A displaced Iraqi man who just fled his home, talks to Iraqi special forces officers at their base.

27 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A displaced Iraqi woman talks on the phone.

23 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A boy, who just fled a village controlled by Islamic State fighters,cries as he sits with his family inside a bus.

27 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A displaced Iraqi girl.

28 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Displaced Iraqis walk through the desert.

28 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Wheelchairs abandoned in the desert by displaced Iraqis.

28 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Displaced Iraqis wait to register at the special forces base.

28 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Displaced Iraqis are transported to refugee camps.

28 Feb 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Smoke rises after Iraqi forces fired a missile during a battle with Islamic State militants.

1 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A displaced Iraqi girl reacts as she flees her home in Mamoun district.

1 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Displaced Iraqis flee their homes in Mamoun district.

1 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

Displaced Iraqis queue for food at Hammam al Alil camp.

1 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A displaced Iraqi carries his baby as he flees his home.

2 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A boy injured in a mortar attack walks toward a ambulance after being treated by medics in a field clinic.

2 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A man injured in a mortar attack walks toward a ambulance after being treated by medics in a field clinic.

2 Mar 2017. Mosul, Iraq. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

A woman injured in a mortar attack is treated by medics in a field clinic.